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@ChukaMVP Thoughts: Don't Drop Wayne Rooney, Shift Him!

The calls for Wayne Rooney to be dropped are growing louder and van Gaal has gone sick of answe...

The calls for Wayne Rooney to be
dropped are growing louder and van Gaal has gone sick of answering the question
relating to Rooney. Against Man City on Sunday, Rooney offered nothing going
forward.

He gave the ball away 28 times, registered no short on target, had
fewer touches than any of United’s outfield players for the second time running
with just one touch in City’s box, and in all sincerity, his best work came in
his own box late on stopping a Nicolas Otamendi attack.

All are sufficient reasons for
him to be dropped. He is the weak link in the Man Utd philosophy and at 30,
Rooney seems full of character and short of confidence and magic. The jury is
bringing the verdict of he is finished, experience says he is having a bad
spell.

Is Man Utd's Ace Finally Done?

Problem is, this spell is
affecting Man Utd so bad and it begs the question why Rooney cannot be dropped.

Of course he could be, but he
shouldn’t be dropped by LvG. Dropping Roo does not automatically guarantee Man
Utd maximum points; it makes a whole lot of fans happy. His sloppiness is
costing points his absence could cost more.

Sidelines For Wayne Rooney?

There are little underlying
factors that suggest he remains a viable option. And while my opinion might
seem unpopular, I strongly believe in them.

First is the reason of lack of alternatives. RvP and Hernandez
sales are looking to be disastrous ones at the moment. Some might suggest James
Wilson to keep Rooney out for some time, while there is a point in there it
does not seem the right one, and on Fellaini the replacement, nothing more than
LOL.

To play Wilson with the intention
of having Martial upfront suggests a traditional
4-4-2 formation. Wilson has little creativity to be a secondary striker in
a 4-4-1-1 and Man Utd has a less vibrant, tenacious midfield to compete using a
4-4-2 against stronger teams, Man Utd would get ripped apart and easily too.

Aside the issue of captaincy,
Rooney is full of character. As poor
as his form is, it does not stop him from putting the work, placing the
interest of club above his, pushing other players, and being the Alex Ferguson
to referees and players alike on the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo grew to heights
at Old Trafford not just on his determination and hardwork but on the selfless nature of Rooney, this cost
Roo reaching heights he could have and when he was forced to be selfish we saw
what Rooney could have been if he was a little more selfish like every striker
should.

Rooney Took A Backseat For Man Utd's Golden Boy

Man Utd still need that, someone
who wears his heart on his sleeves, happy to carry the monkey on his back just
for the success of the team. Rooney is that scapegoat.

Another argument is that it
allows Juan Mata to play at 10. Mata
is blessed with vision, good passing abilities but cannot dictate tempo and a
liability defensively. He is a pocket players, thrives best in pocket spaces
and a choked midfield, give him the whole half area to work with and he does
not necessarily excel well there.

Mata Has Thrived Best Cutting In From The Wings

So it could be Herrera? While I’m
a fan of Herrera but making him your sole creative channel is not a smart idea.
In this quick possession passing system, he thrives in it. He gets the game
running at entertaining tempo with quick passes and our best facilitator of the
system on the pitch. He passes well, a great tackler, works hard, but lacks
sufficient vision. Park the bus and Herrera is busted. He needs Roo.

SO BACK TO 10?

Playing Rooney as 10 limits Man
Utd’s flow. His touches have been abysmal and would slow down the tempo with
misplaced passes. The 10 position requires instinct, vision, and playmaking
abilities. Out of form Rooney, naturally, has lost instinct as teams pressure
him on the ball forcing him to give it away.

What Herrera Lacks As A 10, Wayne Possesses

Loss of instinct requires
analytical thinking. At this age, if Rooney was a natural 10 would have been
shifted deep into a central role as evidenced by Paul Scholes’ transition to
allow him more time on the ball and thinking. It should be noted however that
Rooney’s loss of instinct is not physical but mental.

Asides from this, he has retained
every other thing- vision and playmaking abilities. Rooney and Herrera
complement each other.

So what am I proposing?

It might sound ridiculous but
shift Wayne Rooney to the Left Wing. It could make him less effective, true, but how ineffective can Rooney get?

Rooney on the left becomes a
win-win situation. He offers everything that comes with him- character, threat,
dynamism, and could operate like Juan Mata on the wing as an inverted winger
difference between two is Rooney has better ability to dictate tempo and hold
on to the ball.

Rooney On The Wing Allows Him The Chance To Think More

The time afforded for him to
think increases, Herrera is still in the no 10 role but only as a facilitator and
holds no complete creative responsibility. Rooney’s desire for ball to be played
to feet is increasing with age. Him on the left affords Martial to play
centrally and drive attack, allows him to drift into space in front of goal,
attempt beating players face up, switch ball to weakside, and join the attack
centrally.

Man Utd now have two striking
options with no interference in the midfield.

The only con to this is that Juan
Mata has to sit out. Playing two inverted wingers is not a bad idea but you
need to have defensive wings capable of handling counter attacks and a midfield
that can stop it before it starts as the flanks would generally be exposed. Man
Utd lacks the former.

It Becomes A Win-Win Situation Having Rooney Out Wide

This is not to say Rooney cannot
be dropped. Like I said, my opinion might be unpopular but it gives room for
experimentation in the short term, reduces the reliability of Rooney to drive
attack, helps him develop instinct and get confidence and produce a sufficient
excuse as to why he is not scoring